The most surprising absentee was captain Mike Blair, with McGeechan selecting Mike Phillips, Tomas O'Leary and Harry Ellis as his scrum-halves.

Blair, elevated to Scotland captain by former coach Frank Hadden following the injury-ravaged spell endured by Jason White, was at one point thought to be in line for the captaincy.

But he had a disappointing RBS 6 Nations campaign as he battled to provide quick ball for a pack which was not as dominant as it had been in the Autumn.

But there was joy for Euan Murray of Northampton, thought by many to be a shoe-in for the front row of the Test side, although hooker Ross Ford will not join him in the front row.

Murray is joined in the squad by Nathan Hines ­ the abrasive lock who played only a small part in the RBS 6 Nations due to injury but whose aggressive style will be well suited to South Africa.

Gloucester flanker Alasdair Strokosch may well have been a contender for the back row but he is suffering from 'stinger' injuries in his shoulders and is unlikely to play again this season.

Flanker John Barclay also missed out. He was one of the form players of the RBS 6 Nations but was dropped for the final game by Hadden and his lack of size may also have counted against him.

Simon Taylor, who was named in the squads of 2001 and 2005 but who returned home through injury, was not named this time while Hines' second-row Jim Hamilton was not one of the locks.